Warm vs Cold
by A Snowless Winter
Summary: Chapter 5 is up and edited. I fixed a few things from before, gomen.
1. RamenFiesta!

W a r m vs. C o l d  
  
A tale of a boy's quest for the love of a girl.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. And also, just for future reference, when you see "(| ... ... ... |) ", those are the thoughts of inner Sakura. This is an update, because I forgot about the formatting thing, all the italics on the last chapter. Didn't exist. That may have caused confusion, this should be clearer. Thanks.  
  
Chapter 1: Ramen-Fiesta!  
  
"Waahh!" Uzumaki Naruto quickly rolled out of his bed, his eyes darting from wall to wall of the room.  
  
"...Ramen." He jumped to his feet and dashed off towards the kitchen. He came to a hasty halt when he saw the cupboard.  
  
"There...Better...Be...Some..." He grabbed the rings of the cupboard doors and yanked them open. A moment later an avalanche of packs of the quick-ready ramen welcomed him. The smell itself immediately made drool start to build up and overflow from his mouth. They scattered across the floor, and Naruto lost his mind for a moment as he rolled amongst them, covering himself in their scent.  
  
He finally stopped and laughed. "What a stupid dream! Like all the ramen in the world could ever disappear all at once!" He grinned as he stood up and picked up all the scattered packs, save one. He sloppily threw them back into the cupboard and quickly slammed the doors shut before they could spill out again. He turned around with a smile on his face as he eyed the little cup of ramen that lay on the floor.  
  
"Eh heh. I am a bit hungry, anyways" he convinced himself. He walked over to get some water but was startled first by a knock at his door.  
  
"Damnit, I was just about to eat too. Better get it." He muttered, always upset when something comes between him and his ramen. He hurried over to the door and pulled at the door handle to reveal Haruno Sakura. His heart immediately melted and he felt goose bumps along his arms and chest. _What is she doing here_?  
  
"Sakura-chan?" he looked quizzically at her. He was a little blushed, but other than that nothing was noticeable outwardly.  
  
"Naruto, I... I need to talk to-"  
  
_OH YES OH YES! Sakura-chan finally has recognized me. Soon we will be official! This is it! _His inner thoughts were soon disrupted.  
  
"...Sasuke-kun." She finished. "Do you know where he is?"  
  
"Whaa?" Naruto was confused. All his hopes, dreams; shattered by the mention of Sasuke.  
  
He mumbled under his breath, "Sasuke....That bastard." His fists began to clench tightly. His comment was nearly inaudible. But to Sakura's keen ears, she could hear every word of it.  
  
"Naruto...What...Was that? I don't think I heard you correctly?" She growled and her eyes narrowed. Naruto knew this look well.  
  
"Um! It's nothing Sakura-chan! Nothing at all!" He hesitantly laughed as he tried to convince her he had said nothing.  
  
She looked at him suspiciously for a moment, and then continued, "...Anyways. Do you know where he is?" He wasn't even looking in her general direction anymore, his eyes seemed to be everywhere but on her.  
  
"Like I know.." He muttered. She blinked a few times and then peered inside of his house. She noticed the opened pack of ramen, and sighed.  
  
"Ramen again, Naruto? Is that all you ever eat?" She questioned.  
  
"Of course it's all I ever eat. It's the best food ever!" His eyes lit up for a moment, and then quickly died back down. "What is it to you?" He seemed to be staring at his foot and kicked at the ground.  
  
Sakura's eyes took on a look of curiosity and regret. _Well, I did say I would be nice to Naruto. After all, he has changed a lot. And he does care for me. I can tell. Ah, Sasuke can wait._ "Naruto, do you mind if I join you?" She smiled sweetly, not too sure if it was such a good idea.  
  
"Wha-what? He looked at her for a moment and then his eyes too, gained a look of suspicion. "This better not be some sort of joke, Sakura."  
  
She giggled for a moment and then stepped past him and into his home. Naruto was still staring blankly at the street. _What the hell? I guess it isn't a joke. Good thing I cleaned up yesterday..._ He laughed inwardly and stepped inside after her, closing the door behind them. _Maybe she'll be impressed with my tidy house! Yeah, I bet she will._  
  
_What's that smell? This house is disgusting. When was the last time he cleaned up?!_ Sakura thought. Sakura seemed a little uneasy, but she quickly brushed that off. _I don't want him to know that I feel a little awkward. It might make for a very bad vibe.. _She glanced to her right to see some dirty boxers tucked behind the couch._ (| WHAT THE HELL?! NARUTO! YOU ARE SCUM AND I WILL KILL YOU! THAT'S DISGUSTING! |)_  
  
Naruto trailed behind her watching her expressions. _Yeah, she's totally impressed. Eh heh! I'm the greatest. _He walked past her and led her to the kitchen. _This place is small, and she shouldn't get lost… But it's my job to lead her to safety, that's the role of a (future) husband, y'know?! _ Naruto thought.  
  
_Jeez, the stench is getting stronger. Maybe he has spoiled fruit or bad milk or something? I hope so, because if that's him I'm not staying here any longer. Well, I guess I couldn't really expect anything other than this from him... That all can be changed once we get married. And th-... (| WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?! GETTING MARRIED TO WHO?! You better not be talking about that total idiot over there. |)_ Her inner self didn't seem very fond of Naruto. It may just be what she wants to feel, not necessarily how Sakura actually feels though. _He's not that bad. She thought. He has changed a lot ever since we became official genins, and...To be honest. He's been on my mind a lot recently._ She took a seat at the table in the kitchen.  
  
_I bet Sakura doesn't even think I'm a total idiot anymore!_ Naruto thought. _Yeah, now this really is my chance. Maybe I'll tell her how I feel. But.. She likes Sasuke._ He quickly pushed the thoughts aside for the moment. "Sakura-chan, want some ramen? It's good!"  
  
"Um. Okay, Naruto. I'll have some." She smiled weakly. Her inner debate was still going on. _(| Look at him, Sakura! Look at him! He's a very...Dumb person! And all he ever eats is ramen. In fact, I bet every cupboard in this kitchen is filled with ramen! His house is a total sty, and he's not nearly as cute as Sasuke-kun! |)_ She sighed, and looked at Naruto for a moment.  
  
His back was too Sakura as he gazed at the cupboard in front of him. _I don't want to open this. All the ramen will fall out, and she'll think I'm a complete drop-out for having nothing but ramen. I'm sure I can find a pack somewhere_. He spotted the edge of a package behind an empty box. _Oh, thank God._ He quickly grabbed the pack and turned to Sakura. His eyes immediately diverted to the glass in the door down the hall. There was someone outside. _Who is tha—Damn!!! It's Sasuke! Why now? WHY NOW DAMN YOU!_


	2. Not you again

W a r m vs. C o l d  
  
A tale of a boy's quest for the love of a girl.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. And also, just for future reference, when you see "(| ... ... ... |) ", those are the thoughts of inner Sakura.  
  
Chapter 2: Not you again…

Naruto twitched for a moment as he glared at Sasuke who was on the other side of the door.  _Please don't knock you bastard._  *Knock. Knock.*  _Great__, like he ever came by to visit me before!  Maybe I should kick his ass and he'll go away, eheh._  Naruto glanced over to Sakura to see if she had noticed him yet.

"Sasuke-kun!"  She quickly turned to glare at Naruto.  "Get the door…NOW!"  (| _Yeah!__  That's the spirit, Sakura! _|)  _Oh no.__  What am I doing?..  Maybe I still do like Sasuke-kun…  Or maybe I'm just doing this because this is what I want to believe.   Damn._

Naruto sighed, and he turned to the door.  He thumped down the hallway to the door and swung it open.  "What do you want, coward," Naruto teased.  He chuckled a bit to himself after and folded his arms.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and then spoke calmly, "Kakashi-sensei needs us to meet him at the bridge.  He says it's urgent so yo---"  Sasuke was interrupted by Sakura who ran between Naruto and him at the doorway.  

"Sasuke-kun!  It's so good to see you!  How are you feeling?"  She smiled at him sweetly.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment.  _What is she doing here?_  "I'm fine."  He turned back to Naruto, "Anyways, he says it's urgent.  So let's go, idiot."  Sasuke turned and walked towards the bridge.

Sakura's head hung low after such a cold response.  She sighed and didn't say anything.

_That…Son of a bitch.__  Such a show-off._  Naruto turned to Sakura, "I guess that we'll have to eat together later, eh Sakura-chan?"  Naruto laughed as he always did when he asked Sakura a question like that.  _That would really not be good if she were to say no._

_Whatever._"Yeah, we'll eat together later Naruto," she said in a very melancholy tone.  She then proceeded to walk towards the bridge after Sasuke, her head hung low and her feet dragging.

Naruto just looked at her for a moment and then sighed again.  _I'm not very lucky, huh?  That's okay!  _Naruto laughed.  He could always cheer himself up just by thinking about becoming Hokage, or eating ramen.  _When I become Hokage, EVERYONE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE ME!  And I will probably become luckier with Sakura-chan too!  _ He slipped into a day dream where he was dressed in the Hokage's traditional attire.  He was laying down on a plush orange couch with his head in Sakura's lap.  She was feeding him ramen and she seemed to have a larger bust than usual as well.  Around them were women, with large bosoms as well, fanning them both with paper fans.   _Ahhh….So…Close… _  Naruto quickly wiped away the drool off of his chin and he skipped after Sakura and Sasuke.

_I hope they won't be too mad that I'm late._  Kakashi chuckled as he read through the 24th chapter of his book.  He quickly glanced around to make sure no one was looking, and then he laid back in the hammock and began reading once again.  _I lost my way..  They fall for it every time._

"It's been two hours.  Kakashi-sensei always does this!  Damn him!"  Naruto paced back and forth on the bridge trying to think of a good prank for the most fashionably late Jounin in existence.

"Shut up, moron," Sasuke grumbled as he leaned up against a tree next to the waterside.  He was in the shade, and just staring off somewhere.  _Why must he always be so noisy?...  He knows Kakashi-sensei is always late, why bother even mention it anymore?.._

Sakura sat silently against the railing of the bridge.  She gazed at both Sasuke and Naruto.  _Why am I so confused?  _(| _I don't know?!  LOOK AT THEM SAKURA!  It's like comparing night and day!  Naruto is a bastard!  Sasuke is a hot boy!  How can you even compare them?! _|) "BECAUSE I THINK I LOVE NARUTO!"  Sakura yelled out loud unintentionally.  She blinked for a moment, afraid to meet eyes with either of the boys.  _Oh no, what have I done?  _(| _IDIOT!__  JESUS!  THIS IS THE END FOR ME! |)_  She could feel Naruto's heavy gaze set upon her.  She slowly looked up to meet it, her eyes tearing up.

_"Because I think I love Naruto?" Did she really say that?  I hope I'm not so in love with her that I am starting to hear things.  Haha!  Yeah right, Sakura-chan would never say that, this must be genjutsu…  Sasuke…You bastard.  _Naruto mockingly looked at Sakura, but then he noticed her tears.  "Sakura-chan?"  _…Maybe..Maybe this isn't Sasuke's doing?  _Naruto just stared at her for a moment, not even able to comprehend what was going through her head.  "Sakura-chan?" he repeated.

"So noisy…" Sasuke muttered.  _But what is she talking about, she loves Naruto?  Yeah, right.  I've heard her say bad stuff about him myself, she's cold towards him._

"Good morning my pesky subordinates," a calm voice said.  _I hope they don't get too pissed off.  Besides, that last chapter I read was really good.  Worth making them wait_.  Kakashi stood atop the same construct that he always appeared on when the bridge was their meeting point.

Naruto looked up to Kakashi, still not sure what is going on.  "It's not morning, sensei.  And you've had us waiting here for two and a half hours."

"Oh!  Really?"  Kakashi acted as if he didn't know, pulling a watch from his pocket and checking it.  "Oh, it seems you are right," he laughed hesitantly, "Well then.  Let's get down to business, shall we?"  _What is going on with Sakura? _ Though he noticed, he decided to keep his mouth shut.  "I need you guys to help Hokage-sama (Tsunade-sama) weed out a few certain individuals.  They are amongst your age and your crowd, so she figured you could help the most.  They are from another village.  She heard they had infiltrated a few days ago, but are laying low.  Maybe collecting information, I want you guys to play detective for awhile and see if you can locate them."  _Damn, why do I got to give my subordinates these stupid chicken hunt missions._

"Kakashi-sensei.  Do you know anything about these individuals or what village they are from?"  Sasuke questioned.  He was still in his normal spot, and he didn't even seem to notice Sakura's outburst.

"I know they are…Small.  Like your heights.  And they also are very skilled with many types of genjutsu, so make sure you keep your heads on your shoulders and make sure you remain concentrated.  Other than that, Hokage-sama shared nothing with me.  You are on your own for this.  But I am confident you will do fine."  He glanced over to Sakura one more time before he waved and teleported back to the Hokage.

Sasuke looked over to Naruto.  This was the first time he wasn't automatically assuming the position of leader, or blaring about how he was going to kick someone's ass.  He was stoic, and he was gazing at Sakura.  Tears were still running down her cheeks.  _Bah.  I hope this won't take too long._

After Kakashi disappeared, Naruto turned to Sakura.  "Sakura-chan.  Is what you said…True?"  _This is great!  But, I don't like to see her cry._  He crouched down in front of her, his hand on the ground for support.

_Oh no…What am I going to do?  Naruto…  He always cared.  _She looked over at Sasuke who wasn't even looking at them.  _But **Sasuke** never did.  Naruto tried to so hard for me, but I always blew him off.  Always shot him down and feel like a drop-out.  I was so blind..Naruto, I'm so sorry._  "Naruto!  Forgive me!"  She jumped up and grabbed him.  She wrapped her arms around him as he was pushed back to have to sit on his butt.  "Naruto!"  She was crying and sniffing between words.  "I'm so sorry!  I never meant to hurt you.  Please, forgive me."  She rested her head on his shoulders.  _I'm so stupid.  _Her tears rolled down off her cheek onto his shirt.

"Sa-..Sakura-chan…" His hands stayed by his side for a while, even after she had tackled him.  He finally let go and wrapped his own arms around her.  He held her tightly, and he seemed to take on a totally different personality.  "Sakura-chan.  I'm strong, don't worry.  I'm okay, if I want to be Hokage one day, I can't let a few words from a beautiful girl dampen my spirits."

Sakura laughed reluctantly as she cried on his shoulder.  "You were always there for me, Naruto.  And you always cared, even before our exam.  I…Love you."  She was still crying, but it seemed to have changed.

"Sakura-chan?"  _I hope this isn't that same dream again.  But it feels too real, I can feel her tears through my shirt.  Has the time come?!  HAS IT FINALLY COME FOR ME TO TELL HER?!  Yes!  Yes it has!  Alright!   _"Sakura-chan...I…I love…You." He heard her begin to whimper.  And then she pulled her head from his shoulder and gazed into his eyes.

"Naruto…"  As the final tear rolled down her cheek, she lunged forward and pressed her lips against his, holding him tightly and kissing him as they both toppled onto the ground. She talked from the side of her mouth, "Naruto…I…Love you so much…Thank you.." (| _Hai__!__  IT'S TIME TO SHINE AND SHOW HIM HOW A REAL WOMAN WORKS! _|) _… That was a quick change.  I thought Naruto isn't even comparable to Sasuke.  _(| _You and me__ are the same, Sakura.  If we want to show any sort of strength, we need to work together.  So, alright!  Let's not lose this one! Heh heh. _|)  _It's a deal.  ..But I really do love Naruto..  I feel so…Happy._  She fell into their kiss and forgot about everything else for once.


	3. Starting All Over?

W a r m vs. C o l d  
  
A tale of a boy's quest for the love of a girl.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. And also, just for future reference, when you see "(| ... ... ... |) ", those are the thoughts of inner Sakura.  
  
Chapter 3: Starting All Over?

She fell into their kiss and forgot about everything else for once. _I hope I did the right thing. I love him.. So much._

Sasuke sat quietly at the base of the tree. He glared at the two for a few moments before making his move. _What the hell is going on? Something is wrong._ He got to his feet and walked over to the two who were on the bridge. "We have a mission to do," he growled. And with that he walked off towards the center of Konoha. _Humph, I see Sakura is as manipulating as ever. Although, I do sense some sort of change in her attitude towards him. Maybe she has changed… I don't care whether she has or not. I have one mission in mind and no spare time to waste on the likes of those two. _

_What…What is this? I know I'm not dreaming, but it's hard to tell. Wait a second, this is…. THIS IS MY FIRST KISS!!!!..._ He felt a pain shoot through his brain for a moment. _…My first kiss with a girl, that is. Bastard Sasuke! I still have yet to kick his ass for such embarrassment! _ He had a flash back of the horrible lip-lock he and Sasuke had encountered right after Iruka-sensei had made him a ninja.He quickly brushed those thoughts aside and opened an eye as Sakura continued to kiss him. He then dared to speak, "Sakura-chan. It's… It's okay." He was speaking through the side of his mouth. 

Sakura pulled away from the kiss slowly and wiped her tears from her eyes. She glanced at the face shape she had made on his shoulder from before. The wet spots outlined the eyes and the nose. She smiled weakly. Her eyes and nose were red and her hair was a mess. "Naruto-kun...I'm sorry."

_NARUTO-KUN?!__ Oh..My…God! She finally acknowledges me._ He shed tears on the inside. _SAKURA-CHAN FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES ME!!!! _He tried to play it cool. "Sakura-chan, we better get going." He stood up to help her up like a gentleman and act cool. And it would have worked if he hadn't felt his knees give out and fall flat on his face. His chin hit the bridge with a loud thump. _Damn! My knees are still weak. This happens every time me and Sakura-chan get close to each other. I could hardly make it to the bathroom last time when I took Sasuke's body and tried to seduce Sakura. Something about that girl. Damn! AND SHE KISSED ME! Ahhahaha! I'm so great. This is the first step to my mass acknowledgement. Eheh._

_What the? Still clumsy I suppose. _(| _HAI!__ I TOLD YOU HE WAS CLUMSY! AND A FOOL! _|) Sakura walked over to her fallen team mate and knelt down. Naruto looked to her eyes and gazed there for a moment. There seemed to be something different. _I…How?__ I feel stronger. _She smiled at him and put her hand out to help him up.

_This is almost creepy. I've never seen Sakura-chan act so...Lovingly towards me… The only person to ever do anything like this was probably Iruka-sensei. Okay! Maybe my luck is finally starting to turn around for me. The one thing that would make today perfect…Is me kicking the shit out of Sasuke. _ He took her hand shakily and felt her pull him up. "Thanks Sakura-chan. That was sort of, stupid of me. Haha!" He gave that laugh again. "Let's go before Sasuke gets too far ahead of us." They both began walking back towards the center of Konoha.

"Naruto-kun."

_Ah… That sounds so lovely. But it's also sorta weird at the same time. Maybe just because now she calls **me **that and not **Sasuke****.** _ "Yes, Sakura-chan?" They continued to walk down the wooded path.

"About those.. Genjutsu using ninjas that infiltrated Konoha. Do you think they may strike, or just remain hidden?" _I don't want to talk about what just happened. It'd be too awkward, best to keep his mind occupied. Maybe what I did wasn't for the best._ Like a lot of girls, Sakura too, was indecisive.

"Hmm. I don't know. But let this be known, if they ever try to attack you Sakura-chan, I'll kick their asses good!" Naruto laughed, but it was filled with confidence.

"Yeah, yeah, Naruto-kun. We'll see." She growled. _I'm not helpless, you know?_ She was still easily prone to irritation. 

"Well, anyways, I wonder if the---" Sakura's sentence was cut off as a blur appeared behind her. Another one appeared in front of Naruto. And just as quickly as it appeared, a fist was quickly thrown at Naruto. His face took the full impact as he wasn't quick enough to remove himself from danger. As he stumbled backwards he immediately looked to see if Sakura was okay. …_Oh no…_ The one who had blurred behind her had just kicked her in the back. The impact of his foot was loud and he watched helplessly as Sakura was pushed into a tree. The first thing to make contact with it was her head, she was out cold as soon as she hit. "SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled. He was quickly back on his feet and now cornered by two oddly dressed ninjas. They were obviously from another village. About his height and age. _Wait…Could they be.._ "The spy ninjas…" he muttered. They apparently had very keen ears as well.

"Oh, so you heard huh?" The one who had punched him spoke. They wore no masks so their faces were clear. But they were dressed in brown robes. They looked like potato sacks. They also wore boots on their feet and just barely visible were scrolls and kunai lining around their belts. "So you must be… Naruto. The one with the demon fox within him."

_Damn, they have a lot of scrolls and kunai. Aside from that, I wonder how powerful their genjutsu is._

"Is that your girlfriend?" The one who kicked Sakura from behind was now talking. "Ehh.. She is ugly. She looks better that way." He motioned to her limp body pressed up against the tree.

"Shut up! You are a damn coward! Kicking girls from the back like that. You must be really weak if you use such tactics." Naruto yelled. "And it doesn't matter anyways, because I will not lose to you. I will kick both of your asses at once!" _Sakura-chan…I hope you are okay._ _I will beat them for you._ Naruto did the ever popular hand seal for the kage bunshin no jutsu. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" He yelled as his body seemed to split into 8 separate entities. _4 on each guy, that should teach them._

"Hmph. We have watched you, and your technique will do nothing against us." The first one said. 

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" All the Narutos yelled in unison as they split into two teams and dashed at each of the ninjas. They all encircled their target like vultures and then sloppily jumped at him. Both of the men seemed to dissolve under the weight of the four Narutos that had piled on top of them. The original Naruto yelled after the first ninja just seemed to disappear. "KAWARIMI?!" he yelled unsurely. Suddenly hundreds of kunai flew from the bushes all around them. The clones started to disappear one by one as each kunai punctured their bodies. Luckily, the real Naruto only got nicked by 3 of them. But he also had no more shadows left. _Damn. I don't think it was kawarimi, there was nothing to substitute there. Could this be genjutsu? I don't think so._

"I told you your tricks would not work against us, Naruto." A voice said from the bushes. Then their was a yell of what seemed to be surprise from the bushes. Then both of the ninjas seemed to be thrown out of the bushes from an unknown source. "What the hell?" one of them yelled as he rolled to his feet.

"I don't know where he came from!" The other said as he slipped into a fighting stance facing the bushes. The other one followed suit.

Naruto growled and lunged forward at one of them. "DON'T EVER TURN YOUR BACK ON ME YOU WORTHLESS BASTARD!" he yelled as he dived through the air towards his intended target. He shifted all of his weight into his fist and sent it into the back of the spy ninja's head. He felt it make good contact as both he and Naruto tumbled to the ground. _I got you!_ Naruto thought as he pinned him to the ground and proceeded to pummel him. 

The ninja's companion had just turned to help his fallen comrade when a blur appeared underneath him. Before he could look down, a foot was sprung with terrible force into his chin. He felt his jaw almost break under the pressure as he was pushed into the air. _Uh! Damn! Who is this?!_ Before he could even land back on the ground the same blur appeared above him. _Ah, I see you._ He tried to change his trajectory and grab the blur but then he saw it spin. Soon after a foot rotated down and slammed fiercely into his stomach. "Uh!" he yelled as he felt himself being thrown back down to the ground. The impact was dreadful. He could feel his insides shift and his back almost break. _This kid… _ He thought as his consciousness slipped away from him and he blacked out.

Sasuke landed in a calm manner and looked over to Sakura. She was bleeding from her head. _Oh no. What the hell happened? _ He looked over to Naruto who had the other ninja pinned and was continuously beating him. Sasuke walked over to Naruto and pushed him off. "Stop, the other one is unconscious and we need to ask this one some questions. If you proceed to beat him into death or coma we will learn nothing." 

"Eh?" Naruto glared at the beaten ninja and got off of him. "For being such a bother to Hokage-sama you sure are weak." A smirk appeared on the ninja's face and stood up. _He doesn't look like he's going to run. He probably just knows if he does I'll beat his ass, and he's scared. Hah! I don't blame him._

"Why are you here?" Sasuke began. 

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you." The ninja wiped some blood away from his bruised face.

Naruto smiled at his work. "You will tell us or else you will make me beat you again! Hahaha!"

Sasuke turned to Naruto for a moment and gave him a look implying him to shut up. He then returned his look to the ninja. "At least tell us your name and the name of your partner."

_I guess that's not really relevant. So it's okay. "_My name is Keisuke. My partner is Ryosuke. "

"Keisuke and Ryosuke, eh?" Naruto mocked. "What village are you from?" They wore no visible tag so no one could tell.

"We come fro- " His sentence was interrupted by Sasuke's yell. 

"Naruto! Ryosuke, he's gone!" Sasuke looked confused. He dashed over to where the body lay seconds before.

Naruto turned to look and saw that indeed he had gone. "Goddamnit!" Naruto yelled. He turned back to face Keisuke but was greeted with nothing but empty air. _What the hell? They are fast, no doubt. Bastard Sasuke distracted me! _"Sasuke! Keisuke is gone too." Naruto growled.

"They are very fast. I think it'd be impossible to catch up with them now. We need to get Sakura to town though, she doesn't look too well." They both glanced over to Sakura's limp body. 

_I hope she's okay. Those bastard ninjas kicked her from the back. Looks like she hit her head on the tree._ Naruto approached her and knelt down beside her. He shook her shoulder a little bit to see if she would regain consciousness. She moved a little and then barely opened her eyes. She looked to Naruto. "Sakura-chan! You are okay! Thank God, those bastard ninj-"

"Who are you?" Sakura asked confused. "Who are you and where am I?" Her eyelids looked heavy and they began to fall with the same effect. She fell unconscious once more.

_"Who are you?" _ _What…Happened to her? _Naruto blinked a few times. He tried to push it out of his mind, but he knew what the answer was. "Sasuke…" Naruto said, his eyes closed and Sakura's head in his arms.

"What is it? We need to get moving." Sasuke said.

"It seems as though…Sakura-chan lost her memory."


	4. A Talk

W a r m vs. C o l d  
  
A tale of a boy's quest for the love of a girl.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. And also, just for future reference, when you see "(| ... ... ... |) ", those are the thoughts of inner Sakura.  
  
Chapter 4:  A Talk.

"It seems as though…Sakura-chan lost her memory."  Naruto gazed at Sakura's bleeding face in his hands.  _This…  How did this happen, WHY NOW?! _ Naruto clenched his jaw, wanting to scream and break something.  He wanted to **kill** Keisuke and Ryosuke.  

"Are you sure?" Sasuke questioned.  His face at least had some motion this time; still nowhere near any average person's though.  "Maybe it was just an instinct.  Either way it'd be stupid of us to stay here much longer.  Let's get her to Hokage-sama, if anyone can do something…It's her."  

And with that Sasuke and Naruto, who was carrying Sakura in his arms, ran towards Konoha.  

"She got hit pretty hard," Tsunade-sama said wearily.  She seemed very tired, a lot more seemed to be going on then just 2 runaway nins.  "…But she'll be okay.  I'm pretty sure her lapse of memory is just a temporary thing.  She may have just been confused in that little time that she was conscious.  She'll have to stay here in the hospital for a few days after she awakens.  I don't know when that'll be, but my hopes are that it is soon."  She brushed the hair out of Sakura's face.

"Thank you Hokage-sama."  Sasuke bowed and backed out of the room.  "Naruto, I'm going to go to the forest to check some things out."  With that he turned around and put his right hand in the air as a departure gesture.

"Show-off," Naruto muttered.

Tsunade looked over and smiled.  _Just like Jiraiya._  

_I want to find those two bastards._  Sasuke thought.  He walked down the long stretch of the hall when he saw a black shiny object round the corner.  _That..Hair__._

"Good evening Sasuke."  Rock Lee greeted.  He was holding flowers.  "I heard what happened to Sakura, I came by to see her."  Rock Lee looked very uneasy.

"Hm."  Sasuke said as he was greeted Rock Lee.  "I was just leaving."  Sasuke walked out of the door.  He gave Rock Lee the same departing hand gesture.  

_That guy… _ Rock Lee thought as he approached Sakura's room.  He reached the room and stood at the doorway.  The door was open.  Inside were Hokage-sama who was looking after Sakura and Naruto.  "Naruto.  Good to see you are okay."  

"Good to see you too fuzzy-brows."  Naruto said.

_Naruto…There is a time and a place for everything._  Rock Lee laughed off the embarrassment yet again and walked over to Sakura.  "My beautiful love," he said as he took her hand into his.  _Sooo..Warm.  Sooo beautiful. _ He thought.  He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and he let go of Sakura's hand immediately. "Ow!  What?"

"Hey, Fuzzy-brows.  Keep your hands to yourself," Naruto ordered.  He was just staring at a wall, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh..Oops..Sorry about that."  Rock Lee said as he threw Naruto the peace sign nervously.  "I'm just going to put these over here, alright?"  He set the flower in a vase and put some water in it.  He placed it on Sakura's bedside table.

"Hello Lee,"  Tsunade said smiling.  She waved.

"Ah!  Good afternoon Hokage-sama."  He bowed to her.  "How is Sakura?"  He questioned.

"She should be fine in a few days.  But she'll remain under my care."  She answered.

"I see.  Thank you Hokage-sama."  Lee looked over to Naruto.  "Jeez Naruto, you don't look so well."

Naruto was not able to hold concentration for long.  He had not eaten for quite sometime.  "I..Uh..I'm hungry."  He explained.  "But I'm gonna stay here with Sakura-chan because Hokage-sama has to leave soon."

"Well, if you want.  I could watch her while you go eat."  Lee nodded.  

"…"  Naruto narrowed his eyes for a moment.  _Fuzzy brows wouldn't try anything, he's a good guy.  I can trust him. _ "..Are you sure?"

"Yeah.  No problem."  Lee said convincingly.

"Alright!  Ramen!  I owe you one fuzzy brows."  Naruto ran out of the room towards the ramen place.

"So…Cold."  Lee's head dropped.  "Okay!  Time to protect my love."  He grabbed a chair and put it next to the doorway.  He sat down, and kept his body upright with strict discipline.  _Uhh__...Maybe I should have eaten before-hand. _ He felt his stomach growl.  "Damn," he muttered.

Naruto walked down the halls, his head hung.  _Damnit, Sakura-chan.__  Why did this have to happen now?  I finally got things going my way and this happens.  When I find those two ninjas, I'm going to kick their asses so badly!  _"Oof!  Sorry!"  Naruto said after he bumped into somebody.  

"Naruto?"  The man said.  It was Iruka-sensei, and he was holding some money in his hands.

"Heehee."  Naruto laughed mischievously.  "I was about to go eat some ramen, but good thing I bumped into you.  I didn't have any money and I was going to have to duck the bill!"  Naruto laughed.

"…  But.  Ah, whatever.  Let's go."  Iruka was happy to accept.

*--*

Sasuke collapsed against a nearby tree.  He had been searching all afternoon and into the midnight and had come up with no leads.  "Where..The hell are they?"  He pulled out a canteen of water that was attached to his side.

"Where are who?"  Kakashi questioned, sitting on the branch above Sasuke's head.  He seemed to have come out of nowhere.  He closed the page on his finger and jumped to the forest ground.  He straightened up after the landing and opened the book again.

Sasuke looked at him irritably.  "Keisuke and Ryosuke," he muttered.  "The two spy ninjas."  

Kakashi gained a look of interest.  "Oh?  You found their names?"  he questioned.  "Did you meet them?"

"I guess you could say that.  But they got away.  They were…Fast."  Sasuke tried to straighten up, but his muscles aching.  

Kakashi noticed the unusual strain.  "You've been searching all afternoon, huh?  Well where's Naruto and the rest?"  

"He is at the hospital with Sakura and Hokage-sama."

"The hospital?  Why?"  Kakashi scratched his head with the edge of the book.

_Guess now is as good as ever.  _"The two ninjas ambushed Naruto and Sakura as they were coming back into town.  Sakura got kicked and ended up hitting her head on a tree.  She lost her memory it seems."

Kakashi's visible eye widened.  "What did Hokage-sama say?"  

"She should be okay.  She just doesn't know how long it will last."  Sasuke sighed.  "I want to find out more about those two ninjas.  I was about to find out where they came from but they got away first."

"Ahh, I see."  Kakashi leaned up on the other side of the tree so their backs were separated by the thick of it.  "Sasuke.  I've been meaning to talk to you."

"About what?"  Sasuke was staring into the sky.

"You've only changed a little bit since the first days we met.  Remember when I gave you that lesson on teamwork?" Kakashi asked.

"Lesson?  Is that what it was?" Sasuke said calmly.

Kakashi blinked for a moment.  "Yes.  Yes it was.  Anyways, your teammates and you seem to be growing further apart.  You sitting out here and them at the hospital is just testament to that."

Sasuke didn't respond.

"Sasuke…  Just remember.  Without your teammates, you may not be here."

Sasuke's eyes widened.  The point Kakashi just made was one he had never even touched on before.  _…Not...Be here?...  How?  He's right though.  Sakura and Naruto have saved me just as much as me them, maybe even at more important times.  This is a horrible feeling._  Sasuke pulled himself to his feet.  He dusted himself off and walked off towards the hospital.  

"I'll see you around, Sasuke."  Kakashi said, his eyes not leaving his novel.

Sasuke threw his hand in the air as he disappeared into the night.

*--*

4 bowls later, Naruto finally decided to end his fiesta.  "Thank you, Iruka-sensei.  Next time I'll get to 6!" 

Tears rolled down Iruka's cheeks as he glared at his hands which once held a wad of cash, now substituted with a few meager coins.  Reluctantly, he spoke, "You're…You're welcome." _ I needed a new mattress too.  _He pushed his one bowl of finished ramen back to the cook and got off the stool.

"Well, Iruka-sensei.  I better get back to the hospital, I don't want Sakura to be scared when she wakes up and not having me there to protect her!"  Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke leaning up against a light post.

"Come on Naruto, let's go."  His eyes were closed, and his arms were folded over his chest.

_What the hell is this bastard doing here?_  Naruto looked at him, and then to Iruka-sensei.  He was still staring at his hands.  _What a weirdo._  Naruto walked off towards Sasuke.  "Thanks again Iruka-sensei!"  

"Yeah, yeah...  *Sob*  It's not problem Naruto, anytime."  _My money.. _He sluggishly made his way back towards his apartment.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?"  Naruto questioned, pointing directly at him.

"What are you so upset over?  Let's just get back to Sakura, Lee is probably sleeping."

_Always acting so cool!  Bah!  Whatever._  "Fine."  The two of them silently walked to the hospital.  _Man, this is weird._

_This is so awkward._  Sasuke thought.  He rolled his eyes at the fact that a few words from Kakashi would make him change his demeanor.  _Whatever, he is right.  _

Naruto coughed, and then broke the silence, "Sasuke.  Do you think Sakura-chan will be okay?"

"Yes.  Hokage-sama said so.  She fixed Lee, and he was in worse condition.  So her diagnosis is accurate, I'm sure."

"Yeah, that's true."  _Damn, I hate it when he's right._  They entered the hospital and made their way to Sakura's room.  They tip-toed to the doorway and peered inside.  Rock Lee was sitting in a chair right at the doorway.  A shadow was casted upon half of his face, and the other half looked pissed off.  His mouth was curled downwards, and he stared blankly at the wall.  

"Lee…." Both Naruto and Sasuke said quietly. 

"Hey, fuzzy-brows!  Snap out of it!"  Naruto poked Lee's forehead.  Lee took a while to react and then he blinked.

"Na..Naruto?  Sasuke?  When did you guys get here."  He blinked, as if he was sleeping.

"Can you sleep with your eyes open, Lee?"  Sasuke asked.

"Uh."  He laughed nervously.  "No, no way!  What are you talking about?  I was awake…I was just testing you."

Sasuke and Naruto both narrowed their eyes.  

"Uh huh." Naruto said sarcastically.

"Well.  I think it would be best if we all stayed here for the night," Sasuke suggested, "If she wakes up soon we should be here."

Naruto and Rock Lee both nodded and made themselves comfortable for the night ahead.  Naruto took another chair and leaned it against the wall at the foot of Sakura's bed.  He sat down and tipped it back so it was only on two legs and dozed off immediately.  Sasuke sat down against the wall nearest to Sakura and closed his eyes with dreams of revenge.  Rock Lee managed to crawl under the bed and sleep on the ground.  _Heaven._  He thought as he fell asleep to his romantic dreams of him and Sakura enjoying a fair together.

*--*

"No!  Where are you going?"  Sakura yelled.  Her voice seemed to echo for an eternity.  "What..  What is this?"  Memories were swirling around her and some of them were never seen again.  "What's happening?!"  Images of Naruto, Sasuke, Rock Lee and Ino all circled around her and disappeared.  "Are my memories leaving me?  Where am I?"  She felt a presence within her, it wasn't her inner self either.  It was an intruder.  "The spy ninjas!"  She remembered as she was on her way to the tree seeing who had kicked her.  "Is this genjutsu?" she thought.  She struggled to break free, this situation very similar to her battle with Ino in the Chuunin exams.  "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she screamed as her images went back and forth.  Her brain was in a confused state.  She fought it, and it finally vanished.  "Uh.  I feel so…  Tired."  She slipped into a normal dream.

*--*

Ryosuke stumbled and fell over to the ground.  "That girl.  She's stronger than she seems."  He was rubbing his head.

Keisuke looked back at Ryosuke.  He had just come back from going out in the woods and collecting food and water.  They sought shelter in a cave they had found on the edge of a waterfall deep within the forest.   "She broke your spell?"  he asked as he started to prep the food for cooking.

"Somehow…She did."

"I find it highly improbably that one so weak as her can break your genjutsu.   Are you sure you just aren't tired?"  he asked.  "Maybe your chakura is too low?"  He handed Ryosuke a canteen of water.

"No, that's not it.  She definitely broke through it."  He said as he took the container.

"Well, we needed to contact Kabuto-sama with the information anyways."

"You're right."  Ryosuke replied as he put the last of the water to his lips.


	5. She Awakens

W a r m vs. C o l d  
  
A tale of a boy's quest for the love of a girl.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me. They are all property of Masashi Kishimoto. And also, just for future reference, when you see "(| ... ... ... |) ", those are the thoughts of inner Sakura.

Author's Note:  The chapter is edited.  I didn't really like the last bit, especially because I just threw something on the table that wasn't really even..Within my plans.  Gomen, gomen.  ^_^#   The next chapter should clear up any confusion.

  
  
Chapter 5: She Awakens…

Sakura stirred in her sleep. _Am I returning to normal? _ She thought. _I'm still not sure what happened._ She heard voices beginning to penetrate the barrier of unconsciousness. _Finally.. I'm about to awaken._

Tsunade replaced the rag on her head and noticed she was moving. "Everyone, quick. I think she's about to awaken." Sasuke shifted slightly and then opened his eyes. 

"Hm? Really?" He stood up calmly and brushed himself off. He shifted his weight to his rear leg and folded his arms just watching them.

Naruto jerked suddenly. His chair wobbled and he fell to the ground with a mess of commotion. "Oof! Damn! She's about to wake up?!" He jumped to his feet and ran to Tsunade's side. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. 

"Shh." She said as she keyed in her ears to hear something. Naruto and Sasuke both leaned closer to hear what she was hearing.

"Is…Is that snoring?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and kicked something under the bed. There was rapid movement and then the sound of a head hitting a bed post.

"Ow! What? Who is there?" Rock Lee rolled out from underneath the bed. "Oh! Hokage-sama!" He jumped to his feet and bowed. "Forgive me."

"Were you under there all night, Lee?" 

"Ehrm. Hai!" 

"Well, wake up." She suggested. "Sakura is about to awaken."

"Oh!" Rock Lee turned to look at Naruto and Sasuke. "Morning." He said with a smile.

"Morning, fuzzy-brows." Naruto said, still looking at Sakura.

Sasuke rubbed his forehead as he shook his head. He just motioned a greeting to Rock Lee with his hands. _What a doofus. Almost as bad as Naruto._

"Uhn.." Sakura moaned as she was rolling into consciousness.

"Here she is." Tsunade spoke calmly.

Sakura's eyes flickered slowly, and then opened fully. "Am..Am I ..Awake?"

Tsunade smiled down on her as the others crowded around. "Yes, honey. You are." She brushed Sakura's hair out of her face.

"Thank you...Hokage-sama…I..I.. I'm so… Hungry." 

"Eh?!!?!" Naruto yelled as he tripped over himself and fell over.

Sasuke's head was now shaking back and forth even more. _I'm..I'm__ surrounded by morons._

Rock Lee had already run out of the room to get Sakura something to eat. "My love..She is hungry! I MUST GIVE HER NOURISHMENT!" He yelled as he pushed through people to get to the hospital kitchen.

"Um. I think Lee should be returning with your food soon." Tsunade laughed uneasily. _This girl. She is strong._ _I can tell it was genjutsu, her signs aren't normal signs of a unconscious patient just now returning to consciousness. It is something different. Those Sound nins._

Lee entered the room with a tray and knelt down in front of Sakura. "Sakura. Here, I have brought the food you requested."

"Jeez, Lee. No need to be so formal." She smiled. "Thank you." She grabbed the food quickly and ate without even thinking twice.

Naruto's eye brow twitched. _She's… Her appetite is just like mine._

"Good Morning!" There was a girl's voice at the door. Everyone turned around to see a whole company of Genin. And one Chuunin. Yamanaka Ino smiled. Attached to her hand was the hand of Nara Shikamaru.

"Ehhhh?!" Naruto blinked a few times. _What happened between those two? _

"How are you doing, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked. Behind him were Chouji, Kiba, Hinata, Tenten, and Shino. Neji was not there. They all tried to enter the door at once which caused quite a commotion.

"I'm fine. Thank you guys for coming!" Sakura smiled. She looked over and noticed the flowers on the bedside table. "Who brought these?"

Lee quickly straightened up and answered, "I did!"

"Thank you Lee," Sakura said smiling.

Lee took the empty tray from Sakura and held on to it.

"So, how did you manage to get hurt this time, eh Sakura?" Ino teased. There was something different about her. Almost as if she as glowing. And the funny thing is she hadn't looked at Sasuke once after she waved to him when they came in.

"All I remember was getting kicked and then that was it." Sakura scratched her head, not sure if the whole episode right before she woke up was real.

"Well….It's…Good..Too….See….You..Are…Okay…Sakura!" Chouji spoke in quick bursts between shoving his mouth full of chips.

"Chouji… I thought I told you not to eat so quickly. You are going to get sick. What a bother." Shikamaru shook his head a bit and then focused his attention back on the rest. "Well, I think we need to have a meeting." 

Tsunade blinked a bit. _They've grown so much._ "Well, it seems you are in good care Sakura. I'll be back to check on you later on today." She made her way to the door and everyone parted.

"Goodbye Hokage-sama." They all said and bowed their heads. She smiled and walked down the hall.

"We'll have the meeting here since Sakura can't leave the hospital just yet. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable." Shikamaru took the role of leader as he always did and began to speak. "How much information do we have on these guys?"

"I don't think we have very much." Tenten said. "We know they are skills with genjutsu."

"Anything new?" Shikamaru insisted.

"I heard they are staying in the woods. But really far back, not many people go back there." Kiba said. Akamaru was on his shoulder falling asleep. Hinata stood behind and to the left a little of Kiba looking at the ground. 

"Hinata. Have you learned anything?" Shikamaru questioned.

Hinata hesitantly shook her head.

Naruto gazed at her for a moment. _She's beginning to open up. No one else may notice, but I can._

Ino stood beside Shikamaru and Chouji stood on his other side. 

"I'm eager to find these guys." Rock Lee stated. "Do you think we should split up and look for them again."

"No. They are good at hiding themselves, we need to draw them to us if they have not already left Konoha." Shikamaru said.

"How would we do that?" Ino questioned.

"Ideas?" Shikamaru looked around.

"How about we set the forest on fire?! There's no way they could stay in after that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Idiot. Don't even suggest things like that." Sasuke said.

"I was only kidding, jerk." Naruto retaliated. "But seriously, what can we do?" Naruto looked at Sakura. Her eyes seemed vivid and full of energy. _Is she okay?_

Sakura noticed Naruto was looking at her and she met his eyes. _I nearly forgot about what happened on the bridge. Wow. He looks really good. (| I'M HAPPY YOU ARE AWAKE NOW! I'm at least happy that that pig Ino didn't end up with Sasuke! |) Yeah. It wouldn't matter now anyways. Even though I don't know if I should make this serious yet, I only care for Naruto. (| It's still hard for me to get used to us liking an idiot like him! |) Yeah. I know. Just deal with it, okay?_

"Okay, so that settles it. Good plan everyone, get some rest and we'll meet up tomorrow." Shikamaru said as he stood up.

"What…Plan?" Sakura asked. _(| WHAT?! How long was I out of it for! Damn daydreams! |)_

"Oh, what a bother. You weren't listening? We can't stay long, Naruto. Explain the plan to her. Take care guys." Shikamaru and the rest of them except Sasuke, Lee and Naruto left.

"I got to go take care of some stuff. I'll meet you guys back here later." Sasuke walked out without hearing what any of them had to say. _I'll be back, don't worry._

"Idiot! He's always going off on his own and make such a 'cool' exit." Naruto used his fingers to quote the word "cool." There was an odd noise that sounded like a gurgling. _What the hell? _Naruto thought.

"Ughhhnn. Famished." Lee's eyes were totally blank and he was swaying back and forth.

"Lee. You can go get something to eat if you want, y'know?" Sakura said. Her eyebrow was quirked as she watched him nearly collapse a few times.

"H..Hai." He sluggishly exited the room.

"What a moron." Naruto said.

"Lee isn't a moron Naruto-kun. Either way, you should probably start explaining that plan to me." _You may want to talk to him about the bridge first. This may be the only time for a long time you get to talk with him alone. _"On second thought. I want to talk to you about something else first," Sakura said hesitantly. She began to blush.

"Sakura-chan?" _She said "Naruto-kun." She hasn't forgotten. Thank God. I would have been pissed if she did. Play it cool Naruto! This is the first step towards something greater! Yes! Much greater!_ "What is it you want to talk about?"

"I want to finally tell you one on one…How..How I feel about you." _Now is the time._

_Now is the time_. Naruto thought. 

Author's Note:  The chapter is edited.  I didn't really like the last bit, especially because I just threw something on the table that wasn't really even..Within my plans.  Gomen, gomen.  ^_^#   The next chapter should clear up any confusion.


End file.
